S Mode Problem


RichardC

RichardC

Member
Local time
5:04 AM
Posts
6
OS
windows 11 Home in S Mode
I've got a new laptop that's running in S Mode. I tried opening command prompt and it said I had to exit S Mode. Is S Mode that important?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 Home in S ModeIntel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz4 GB
OS
windows 11 Home in S Mode
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Stream
CPU
Intel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz
Memory
4 GB
Sound Card
RealTech?
RichardC said:
I've got a new laptop that's running in S Mode. I tried opening command prompt and it said I had to exit S Mode. Is S Mode that important?
Click to expand...
Hey, S mode I believe is Safe mode, usually only used for troubleshooting, you should be able to boot into windows normally

EDIT Windows s mode is a streamlined version that only uses apps from the store. Lower end pcs would usually use this if resources are slim. Also apparently once you leave S Mode you cannot re enter it.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
glasskuter said:
I suggest anyone running in S mode switch out of it into a full fledged Windows. It's very easy to do. .https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/switching-out-of-s-mode-in-windows-4f56d9be-99ec-6983-119f-031bfb28a307
Click to expand...
I would usually always agree but take a look at his pc specs too
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710
RockHardSemi said:
take a look at his pc spec
Click to expand...
Oops. I missed that. With those specs, I suspect there will be issues even using S mode. I know MS requirements say 11 will run 1 gz/2 cores/4 gb ram but they fail to tell people how poorly it will run.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
glasskuter said:
Oops. I missed that. With those specs, I suspect there will be issues even using S mode. I know MS requirements say say 11 will run 1 gz/2 cores/4 gb ram but they fail to tell people how poorly it will run.
Click to expand...
I agree it'd be a toughie for me personally but I guess it is what it is, I had someone tell me earlier on they run windows 11 on only 1-1.6gb( or something like that) lol, Theyre may be truth to it but literally my pc just wouldn't work anymore xD
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

11[email protected]Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhzGigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
OS
11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Custom
CPU
[email protected]
Motherboard
Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
Memory
Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
Monitor(s) Displays
ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
Hard Drives
Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
Samsung EVO 870 500GB
PSU
Corsair RX 650
Case
NZXT h510
Cooling
CM HYPER 212 RGB
Keyboard
Razer Ornata Chroma
Mouse
Steelseries Rival 710
I will advise the user to stop all unnecessary startup processes, get the OS as lean and mean as possible, and curtail how many windows (and tabs) they have open at one time. What would be a killer for me is if S mode keeps the user from using the command prompt. I was unaware that one could not do that in S mode.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
RichardC said:
I've got a new laptop that's running in S Mode.....
Click to expand...
glasskuter said:
With those specs, I suspect there will be issues even using S mode. I know MS requirements say 11 will run 1 gz/2 cores/4 gb ram but they fail to tell people how poorly it will run.
Click to expand...
RockHardSemi said:
I agree it'd be a toughie for me personally but I guess it is what it is, I had someone tell me earlier on they run windows 11 on only 1-1.6gb( or something like that) lol
Click to expand...

Just as a test, I have installed 11 Home on a really low spec machine wtih just 2GB RAM. It ran surprisingly well conscidering, but was a little sluggish. I have other machines with a more reaonable 4GB RAM, they run W11 acceptably well.

The OP should already be aware of the performance this machine is achiving in S Mode. If that is acceptable performance for the use it's put to, then switching out of S Mode shouldn't make it any worse.

The Celeron N4020 in the OP's specs has a higher benchmark then the Celeron N2930 in another of my machines.


My machine only has 4GB RAM too, but I'm currently runing the Release Preview build of 22H2 22621 on it without any issues. Mine does have an SSD which helps make it feel fast enough, the OP's HP Stream should have a 64 GB eMMC so that would help too.
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds as native boot vhdx.
Thanks to all. Once I get my desktop running again, I think I'll try the normal windows for the laptop.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 Home in S ModeIntel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz4 GB
OS
windows 11 Home in S Mode
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Stream
CPU
Intel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz
Memory
4 GB
Sound Card
RealTech?
RichardC said:
Thanks to all. Once I get my desktop running again, I think I'll try the normal windows for the laptop.
Click to expand...
Come back when you're done and tell us how it performs.....
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds as native boot vhdx.
Thanks Bree, will do.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 11 Home in S ModeIntel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz4 GB
OS
windows 11 Home in S Mode
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Stream
CPU
Intel Celeron N4020 @1.1 GHz
Memory
4 GB
Sound Card
RealTech?
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